The Sequoyah Book Award program encourages the students of Oklahoma to read books of literary quality.

Children’s Sequoyah Award Nominees for 2025

Elf Dog & Owl Head by M.T. Anderson
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko
The Bees of Notre Dame by Meghan P. Browne
My Not-So-Great French Escape by Cliff Burke
The Infinite Questions of Dottie Bing by Molly B. Burnham
Squire & Knight by Scott Chantler
Montgomery and the Case of the Golden Key by Tracy Occomy Crowder
The International House of Dereliction by Jacqueline Davies
The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos
The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson
You Are Here edited by Ellen Oh
Looking Up by Stephan Pastis
The Story of Gumluck the Wizard by Adam Rex
Mr. Whiskers and the Shenanigan Sisters by Wendelin Van Draanen

Students in grades 3-5 who have read or listened to at least three titles from the Children’s Masterlist are eligible to vote for the Children’s Sequoyah Book Award.  Students who are eligible will vote in March and the winner will be announced in April.

2024 Winning title: Cookies and Milk by Shawn Amos

2023 winning title: Stella by McCall Hoyle

2022 winning title: Zeus, Dog of Chaos by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

2021 winning title: Stargazing by Jen Wang

2020 winning title: Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood

2019 winning title:  Dog Like Daisy by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

2018 winning title: Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

2017 winning title: The Doll Graveyard by Lois Ruby

2016 winning title: Chews Your Destiny by Rhode Montijo

2015 winning title: The One and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

2014 winning title: Sidekicks by Dan Santat

2013 winning title: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

The first Sequoyah Children’s Book Award was given in April 1959, making the award the third oldest children’s choice award in the nation.

The award is given annually as an event at the Oklahoma Library Association’s Annual Conference.

The Oklahoma Library Association honors Sequoyah for his unique achievement in creating the Cherokee syllabary, the 86 symbols representing the different sounds in the Cherokee language.

His statue is one of the two representing Oklahoma in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The son of a Cherokee mother and a white trader father, Sequoyah, Cherokee for “Lame One,” was also known by his English name, George Guess

A cabin built by Sequoyah as part of a United States government grant still stands near Sallisaw.  This grant was the first given for literary achievement in the United States.